cowda@bangalore.com

IF KARNATAKA Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has a political problem, then Vaastu has the answer. When the Congress clamours for his resignation, maybe it will help to remove that fishpond from the CM's official residence. And when the Bangalore-Mysore corridor looks more like a road to nowhere, it is better to construct a wall around the compound. And to solve the problems in the House, the "humble farmer" builds half-a-dozen cowsheds in the backyard of his new house.

After taking all these precautions, among others, Kumaraswamy entered his official residence 'Anugraha' on the dot at 10.28 p.m. on Monday.

Making the move were, among others, six cows and a calf. Two of these bovine gifts came from brother Revanna who will be part of Kumaraswamy's cabinet expansion on Wednesday.

The exchequer spent Rs 33 lakh to make the CM’s house Vaastu-compliant.
It is all for the state, says the CM. "As far as changes made to the house, I heeded the advice of experts to help our state overcome all difficulties," he said. If all goes well, Anugraha will be his home for 16 more months, according to the power-sharing agreement between the JD(S) and the BJP.

The calf love, apparently, runs in the family. H.D. Deve Gowda, Kumaraswamy's father and the original son of the soil, had brought a cow from his home district of Hassan when he became chief minister in 1994. Did the cow help Gowda become the prime minister two years later?

In Bangalore, the BJP — uncowed — will be praying that Kumaraswamy's luck does not run beyond 16 months from now.